LAHORE, 14th Mar 2023: The Pakistan cricket selectors on Monday named a new-look 15-player squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan scheduled to be held from March 24 to 27 in Sharjah.
The selectors announced the squad with one eye on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the other on ensuring the careers of their elite cricketers are extended by strategically managing their workloads. All-rounder Shadab Khan will captain the side that includes four uncapped players including Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan, while Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have been recalled. Pakistan captain Babar Azam, along with Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been rested, while Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Muhammad Hasnain and Khushdil Shah have been dropped. These nine players were part of the Pakistan squad that reached the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Apart from Shadab, players retained from the last T20I series include Iftikhar Ahmed, Muhammad Haris, Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah and Shan Masood.
Chair of PCB Management Committee, Najam Sethi, said: “I want to congratulate Shadab Khan on his appointment as the Pakistan team captain for the series against Afghanistan. Shadab has been Pakistan vice-captain in white-ball cricket for the past couple of years and it is logical that he takes over the side in the absence of Babar for the short threematch T20I tour of Sharjah. “For the short Sharjah tour and to ensure continuity, we have also appointed M Yousuf as interim head and batting coach. Yousuf has been with the national side since last year as a batting coach and has also been working in the National High Performance Centre,” he added. Chair of selection committee, Haroon Rashid, said: “For the short three-T20I series against Afghanistan, the selection committee has followed the standard rotation policy by resting the leading performers and providing high-performing domestic performers with opportunities to demonstrate their talent and potential at the international level.
This will also allow us to test the temperament and abilities of these players and helping us strengthen our pool of players as we look forward to building and preparing a formidable side for next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States. “However, and in doing so, we have ensured that we select a side that is equally strong and capable of winning the series against a strong Afghanistan side for whom Sharjah is like a second home. And to achieve that, we have retained seven players from the last series, recalled four experienced cricketers and clubbed them with four uncapped players to make the 15-member side a truly mixture of youth and experience.
“I want to congratulate Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan, who have broken into the national side after a series of strong performances in the domestic circuit as well as in the PSL 8. Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have been recalled after they too demonstrated in the PSL 8 that they are capable of exceling in the shortest format and also providing experience and stability in the side. “Babar, Fakhar, Haris, Rizwan and Shaheen have been provided breaks from the short Sharjah trip to allow them to switch-off from competitive cricket so that they can complete their rehabilitations, regroup, recompose and recharge their batteries and be fully fit for the challenges in the tough and challenging 2023-24 season,” Haroon added.
Reference Link: https://www.nation.com.pk/14-Mar-2023/shadab-to-lead-new-look-pakistan-against-afghanistan-in-sharjah
